ttt: authors i'm ashamed i've never read

1. David Foster Wallace- Infinite Jest sounds interesting and I've heard rave reviews about how it's a modern classic and will be taught in schools in the future, but I just can't do it. Because I've also heard it's extremely long and complicated and not really worth it. Maybe I'll find another David Foster Wallace book to conquer instead (I've heard his non-fiction is actually really great?).

2. Jonathan Franzen- He seems to have a reputation for being the jerk of the literary world, but I've also heard great things about his work. The Corrections has been on my list for a long, long time.

3. Neil Gaiman- A few weeks ago I posted Gaiman's inspiring, hilarious commencement speech. He seems like a talented guy with a lot of great work behind him and it's a shame I haven't read any of it. Maybe I'll check out Coraline sometime for a quick, fun read (I did really like the movie).

4. Haruki Murakami- He's another that sounds like he's writing modern classics, books that will someday be taught, but I just haven't gotten to him yet. His newest, 1Q84, scares me a bit, so I think I'll start out with something shorter like Norwegian Wood. His work is supposed to be very dreamy and unique, and I really can't wait to try it. I'm shocked I haven't already!

By the way, I totally imagined Malcolm Gladwell to be an old guy with white hair and glasses.

5. Malcolm Gladwell- I'm a fiction girl all the way, but I've heard Gladwell writes some of the best non-fiction out there. I've been wanting to get around to him for years.

6. Leo Tolstoy- When I think of the hardest, longest books out there, I think of Tolstoy. So is it shocking I haven't read him yet? No. But I'd really, really like to try sometime. Maybe the new Anna Karenina movie coming out will inspire me.

7. Fyodor Dostoyevsky- And the other great Russian (in my eyes). Someday I'll give him a shot.

8. Alexandre Dumas- His seem like the most exciting of the classics, so it's a shame I didn't try reading him when I was caught up trying to read as many classics as possible (way back at the start of high school). I honestly think I'll like him much better than I ever liked Jane Austen or Charles Dickens.

9. Edith Wharton- I have The Age of Innocence on my shelf. It'll happen someday.

10. Virginia Woolf- Of all the classic authors I haven't read, she shames me the most. I've read one of her short stories, but I don't think that counts. The stream of consciousness thing doesn't really appeal to me, but I really should give her a chance.

Which author should I read first? And which book of theirs? I'd love some recommendations!

10 comments:

Does it make you feel better that I've only read Tolstoy and Wharton from this list? I read Anna Karenina in high school and loved it. It had some really long, boring parts but the story itself was wonderful. Picking a good translation can make a world of a difference, too. I also really enjoyed The Age of Innocence, but I want to reread it soon because I think I'd appreciate it more now than I did when I first read it. Even though I want to read some of these authors, it's sometimes hard because I don't find myself gravitating towards them when I'm trying to pick out a book to read. Maybe one day that will change!

haha. It does! I don't feel quite so unaccomplished now. And I love hearing that you really enjoyed Anna Karenina and The Age of Innocence! More often than not, I hear that they're boring or awful, but I have hope that I'll really enjoy them :)

And I know exactly what you mean! I'd love to put a lot of authors under my belt (is that the right expression? haha) but I never find myself drifting toward them when I'm searching for a book. And there's nothing worse than forcing yourself to read something! You'll never enjoy it as much as you could have.

Ahhh you should read them all! For David Foster Wallace, try Consider the Lobster. For Edith Wharton, House of Mirth. For Virginia Woolf, I'd go To the Lighthouse. Those would be my first picks. For Jonathan Franzen, I preferred the Corrections...

You know, for the longest time I had never read anything by Neil Gaiman either. I barely read 'Good Omens' at the end of last year, which is by both Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, and I must say it was amazing! I already liked Pratchett, so now I have to make sure to check out Gaiman's other books.

Tolstoy did write a short-ish story called "The Death of Ivan Illych" which I thought was really good. Maybe check it out? I read it in less than a day for one of my college courses, and it gave me a glimpse of Tolstoy's writing without taking too much time. Good list!

You must read Gaiman! Coraline was the first book I read by him, followed by The Graveyard Book (which I actually bought...and it was a hardcover...so you know I'm dedicated to the author), Stardust, and American Gods (which left me pretty depressed for a couple of days when I finished...just because it was over). I love them all!